Unlicensed Contractor Ordered to Pay $50,625 for Unsafe, Illegal Electrical Work in the Greater Golden Horseshoe

Oct 30, 2017

Jose Julio DeNobrega was convicted in a Burlington court and ordered to pay a $45,000 fine plus a $5,625 victim fine surcharge for conducting unsafe electrical work without an electrical contractor's licence at 14 locations in Hamilton, Burlington and Oakville.

DeNobrega pleaded guilty to 45 charges in total, including multiple counts of working without an electrical contractor's licence, not taking out an electrical permit, unauthorized connection of power, and leaving an electrical hazard. He also pleaded guilty to one count of issuing a false document.

Much of the electrical work DeNobrega did was found to be non-compliant with the Ontario Electrical Safety Code. The most serious instance was when DeNobrega removed an electrical meter from an apartment building wall, leaving live wires and electrical parts exposed to the public and putting himself at major risk of an electrical injury. If someone touched the exposed wires, they could have received a fatal shock.

"We will not stand idly by while illegal electrical work done in Ontario puts the public at risk," says Scott Saint, Chief Public Safety Officer, Electrical Safety Authority (ESA). "Electrical safety is a shared responsibility among contractors, homeowners and the public. We all need to do our part – and comply with the law – to ensure a safer Ontario for everyone."

"The laws for conducting electrical work in Ontario are very clear: only a Licensed Electrical Contractor can do electrical work for hire," adds Normand Breton, Director of Contractor Licensing, ESA. "In this case, Mr. DeNobrega broke the law, provided misleading information and put the public at risk. This simply won't be tolerated by ESA and this conviction has indicated it won't be tolerated by the courts either."

DeNobrega provided the general contractor he was working with a false document containing an Electrical Contractor Registration Agency (ECRA) /ESA licence number that did not belong to him.

Hiring a Licensed Electrical Contractor

By law in Ontario, Licensed Electrical Contractors are the only contractors allowed to conduct electrical work for hire. When hiring someone to do work, homeowners and businesses are reminded to:

Ensure the contractor holds all required qualifications and licences – including an ECRA/ESA licence for electrical work. You should also ask for their references.

Check that the contractor has secured all appropriate permits and inspections.

Advise the contractor that you expect a copy of the ESA Certificate of Inspection from them once the electrical work is complete.

If anyone believes DeNobrega – who has also been known to operate as Phoenix Electrical Contractor – did electrical work on their property, contact ESA's Customer Service Centre at 1-877-ESA-SAFE (372-7233) and ESA can address your concerns.

The Electrical Safety Authority's (ESA's) role is to enhance public electrical safety in Ontario. As an administrative authority acting on behalf of the Government of Ontario, ESA is responsible for administering specific regulations related to the Ontario Electrical Safety Code, the licensing of Electrical Contractors and Master Electricians, electricity distribution system safety, and electrical product safety. ESA works extensively with stakeholders throughout the province on education, training and promotion to foster electrical safety across the province.

The non-energy benefits of lighting have long been the focus of the National Lighting Bureau. Established in 1976, the not-for-profit lighting-information service was created to advocate for “High-Benefit Lighting®”; i.e., energy-efficient lighting that is designed to increase worker productivity, reduce visual errors, increase safety, improve security, and attain a variety of related benefits with significant bottom-line values, as documented in an array of case histories available free on the Bureau’s website.

Keeping Current

STANDARD announces the appointment of two new sales managers for Western Canada.

Zane Yakiwchuk has been promoted to Regional Sales Manager for Western Canada. In addition to leading sales in Alberta and the Midwest, Zane will be responsible for the British Columbia market. Many of STANDARD's customers have Trans-Western operations and we believe we can work in a more aligned fashion to develop and execute strategic initiatives that will drive mutual growth. Zane has a long history with STANDARD, starting in 2004 as a Lighting Specialist in B.C. and then moving to Calgary in 2011 to become the Regional Sales Manager for Alberta. Based on his success in Alberta, Zane’s geographic region has been expanded to include Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Northwestern Ontario.

Northwinds' sales force leverages over 100 years of combined experience in the province of Ontario and is committed to providing dependable solutions to an always-changing electrical industry. They are dedicated to fulfilling all the supply needs of the electrical distributor and contractor partners with the industry's finest manufacturers.

MERSEN announced the appointment of Ali Julazadeh as Regional Sales Manager for Canada’s Central Region, effective October 23, 2017. Ali joined Mersen in March 2014 in the position of Solutions Engineer, PV Products. Ali recently earned his P.Eng. designation, holds a Bachelors and a Masters of Applied Science in Electrical Engineering from Ryerson University in Toronto and is in the process of completing his MBA.

Ali is based in Mersen’s Mississauga office and can be reached at 416.252.9371.

TE Connectivity (TE), a world leader in connectivity and sensors, has introduced a development kit for its new LUMAWISE Drive LED Holder Type Z50, enabling luminaire designers to purchase a single unit for desktop testing, product evaluation and luminaire prototyping. Each kit contains an LED holder, a cable assembly and a thermal interface material.

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The fully-adjustable LED panel rotates to provide 360 degrees to get the light where you need it and pivots so you can put 500 lumens of color-accurate white natural light exactly where you need it, while staying cool to the touch. A 3-position switch lets you select the right amount of light based on your needs.

CBS ArcSafe®, a leading manufacturer of remote racking and switching solutions for low- and medium-voltage switchgear, introduces its remote switch actuator (RSA) for the ABB/Sace Novomax air circuit breaker (ACB). The lightweight, portable CBS ArcSafe RSA-242 allows technicians to remotely close or trip an ABB/Sace Novomax ACB from a safe distance of up to 300 feet, well outside the arc-flash boundary.